U.S. CITIZENS PLEDGE THEIR ALLEGIANCE

U.S. CITIZENS PLEDGE THEIR ALLEGIANCE: "TAMPA - Maria Louisa Davis got to the United States seven years ago, but Monday (July 28) she became a permanent fixture. She was one of 520 flag-waving, 'Star Spangled Banner'-singing people sworn in as citizens at the Tampa Convention Center.

The 52-year-old Orlando woman said she wants to vote in the election this fall, the main reason she chose to go through the lengthy process.

Monday was the deadline for registering to vote in the Aug. 26 primary election, and it also marked 100 days until the presidential election in November."

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MCCAIN - OBAMA ALL POLITICS

MCCAIN - OBAMA ALL POLITICS: "Sen. John McCain, appearing on ABC's This Week yesterday, took what the Washington Post is characterizing as his 'most direct challenge yet' to Sen. Barack Obama's Iraq policy, charging that his decision-making on Iraq and the surge have been driven by personal political calculations. McCain said, ''m not questioning his patriotism. I'm questioning his actions. I'm questioning his total lack of understanding. ... I am saying that he made the decision, which was political, in order to help him get the nomination of his party. ... I say that it was very clear that a decision had to made, and I made it when it wasn't popular. He made a decision which was popular with his base.' ABC World News reported that McCain also continued to condemn Obama's opposition to the surge, saying, 'If we had done what Senator Obama wanted done, it would have been chaos, genocide, increased Iranian influence, perhaps al Qaeda establishing bases again.'"

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WASHINGTON NEWS

WASHINGTON NEWS: "The Wall Street Journal reports Republicans are 'upping the ante on their bet that energy issues -- especially increased domestic oil production -- will be key to closing Democrats' imposing advantage with voters on the economy.' President Bush this week will visit 'Ohio and West Virginia...to draw attention to congressional inaction. Senate Republicans are planning a floor fight before August recess to try to win authorization for more production.' The issue 'could create an opening for Sen. John McCain in his battle with Sen. Barack Obama for the presidency.' The Christian Science Monitor also says the offshore drilling ban is 'one of only a few GOP issues that appears to be gaining widespread support among voters in an otherwise bleak campaign season.' Roll Call says, 'High gas prices might be decimating the economy, but they are proving to be just the tonic for House Republicans.'"

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LABOUR DOOMED WITH OR WITHOUT GORDON BROWN

LABOUR DOOMED WITH OR WITHOUT GORDON BROWN: "Voters are increasingly writing off Labour as fewer people believe that a change of leader or policy would help the party to win the next general election.

A Populus poll for The Times, undertaken over the weekend after Labour's defeat in Glasgow East, suggests that its dramatic slide in popularity is being driven by a collapse in economic confidence.

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Labour is on 27 per cent, down one point on the last Populus poll three weeks ago, and about the level it has been for the past three months. This is the lowest since the early 1980s.

The Conservatives are on 43 per cent — up two points — with the Liberal Democrats down one point at 18 per cent. Other parties are unchanged on 12 per cent."

A BIT LESS EGO MIGHT MAKE NICOLAS SARKOZY MORE POPULAR

A BIT LESS EGO MIGHT MAKE NICOLAS SARKOZY MORE POPULAR: "'Why do they hate us?' asked the Americans of the Islamic fundamentalists after 9/11. 'Why do they not like me?' could be the question asked by Nicolas Sarkozy to the French after more than one year in power. Sarkozy is omnipresent both domestically and internationally. On July 13, the leaders of more than 40 countries attended the first gathering of the Union for the Mediterranean in Paris. France is back in the world and in Europe. Domestically, an ambitious and difficult program of long-awaited reforms, which a majority of French citizens recognize are inevitable, has begun, with some early results in the field of labor law and education. Sarkozy's energy, willpower, and activism are nothing short of spectacular."

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MY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

MY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: "Well, here we are at the beginning of a new national election. For the next year we will be blasted with ads and commentary every time we turn on the TV or read the newspaper. It gets a little old after awhile but thats really not what bothers me about it. What really bothers me is that every time the media mentions a candidate they add their own commentary. Yes, they slant the news just enough to string people along. They start a story in a way to pre-determine their stand.

How about an alternative to that. I got an idea! What if I could just go to each of the candidates websites and see what they have to say themselves! I think the American people are perfectly capable of making their own decisions if they can get the proper information, but where do you find all of the candidates websites? Well, it really isn't that hard but it does require some searching."

REVIEW OF THE AUDACITY OF HOPE BY BARACK OBAMA

REVIEW OF THE AUDACITY OF HOPE BY BARACK OBAMA: "This title presents Barack Obama's political vision for the future of America. If Barack Obama is successful in his quest to become President of the United States, he will dramatically change the face that his country presents to the world. In this bestselling book, Obama discusses the importance of empathy in politics, his hopes for a different America with different policies, and how the ideals of its democracy can be renewed. With intimacy and self-deprecating humour, Obama describes his experiences as a politician, about balancing his family life and his public vocation. His search for consensus and his respect for the democratic process inform every sentence. A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a sceptic, Barack Obama has written a book of transforming power that will inspire people the world over. It is an autobiography and covers politics."

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